It’s no secret that hip hop is the most influential culture in the world; but you know what they say, numbers don’t lie.
As opposed to their 3% growth in the first quarter, adidas sales have increased up to 29%, thanks to Dr Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. adidas Originals have been selling like hot cakes this year, with thanks especially to the adidas Yeezy 750 Boosts, and Pharrell bringing back the classic Superstar shoe with the ‘Supercolour’ range to add a twist.
The adidas CEO, Herbert Hainer, spoke out about the brand’s growth and how Kanye and Pharrell played a major role in the forefront of adidas’s sales rising. He spoke proudly about how “the adidas Superstar quickly became the shoe of the season. And the global launch of the Supercolor pack, the introduction of the Superstar Silver in 50 different colorways, in cooperation with Pharrell Williams, has brought the franchise to new levels.” Hainer further added that, “the launch of the Yeezy Boost, our first shoe developed in collaboration with Kanye West, caused long queues formed in front of stores. And let’s not forget the success of the newly launched Tubular and the latest version of the ZX Flux. All of this drove an aggressive 29% sales increase at adidas Originals.”
Since Yeezy left Nike because of a lack of creative freedom and the lack of royalties on sneaker sales, this is a punch in the balls both to Forbes and Kanye detractors in general, with the former claiming that the Yeezy collaboration would not yield profits for the brand but instead be a likely flop.

Meanwhile, during a lecture at a Chicago University Kanye West jabbed at Nike, saying they haven’t “done anything cool this year.”

Has Kanye won the war against Nike or is it too premature to celebrate?